This short film is incredibly short and deceptive simple, but what it does in under two minutes is great fun to watch. An alien arrives on Earth and changes the perspectives of a man and his dog — not just metaphorically, but visually. »3/03/15 12:40pm 3/03/15 12:40pm

Here's a reason to turn around when looking at the sunrise or sunset. At the far side of the sky might be another fake sunrise (or sunset), made from anticrepuscular rays. »6/16/13 8:00am 6/16/13 8:00am

Anamorphic illustrations that reveal themselves in the presence of a cylindrical mirror, go back to the 1500s. Jonty Hurwitz takes a similar idea but plays it out in sculpture form, creating distorted objects that reveal a clear image only in front of that shiny cylinder. »1/26/13 1:00pm 1/26/13 1:00pm

One of the more popular optical illusions in art history is anamorphosis. It's a mind-bending form of art that dates back to the 1500s, and is still causing people to cock their heads and blink today. Take a look at the weird designs that artists come up with when they smush their own paintings. »7/24/12 4:00pm 7/24/12 4:00pm

Some of the most compelling optical illusions are often the simplest. Case in point: the drawings of Japanese artist Nagai Hideyuki. With little more than a couple of sketchbooks, some pencils, and a little perspective, Hideyuki's 2D drawings turn into a series of surreal, three-dimensional weirdfests. »6/26/12 3:00pm 6/26/12 3:00pm

The world is constantly moving and changing all around us, but we're not always able to perceive these changes as they happen. A new optical illusion reveals just how powerful change blindness really is through the mental magic of silencing. »1/09/11 12:30pm 1/09/11 12:30pm

This amazing optical illusion has been put forward as a visual personality test that can reveal whether you're right-brained or left-brained. That's totally bogus, of course, but it doesn't make the illusion any less amazing...and we'll explain how it works. »12/21/10 2:40pm 12/21/10 2:40pm

How we perceive the world is determined by the visual cortex, but not everybody's cortex is created equal. One person's visual cortex can be up to three times bigger than someone else's, and size matters when it comes to perception. »12/06/10 11:41am 12/06/10 11:41am

The McGurk effect is a powerful illusion where our brains hear the wrong noise if they're presented with visual evidence that something else is being said. Now we've discovered what part of the brain is behind this strange effect. »11/18/10 2:00pm 11/18/10 2:00pm

The human brain is one of the most remarkable things on this planet...but that doesn't mean it can't make mistakes, particularly when it comes to how we see the world. Here are five mind-blowing optical illusions and how they work. »11/14/10 7:05pm 11/14/10 7:05pm

"Impossible Motion: Magnet-like Slopes" won the 6th Annual Best Visual Illusion of the Year competition, held in Florida a few days ago. And, much like yesterday's street paintings, it will make your brain hurt. »5/11/10 5:00pm 5/11/10 5:00pm